New Yorkwildlife
Where is seasonal wildlife in season in New York now?
No official report has come in for wildlife by season yet this season.
Checked Sep 30.
Your guide to New York
Plan from a town
Frost dates and what's in season nearby
Each place's usual timing in New York
- Fire Island: Piping plovers nest on the beaches
from March to September
- Morton Refuge: Ospreys along the shoreline
in the spring and summer months (March – September)
- Wertheim Refuge: Ospreys along the Carmans River
in the spring and summer months (March – September)
- Morton Refuge: Piping plovers arrive
between mid-March and early April
- Wertheim Refuge: Box turtles on the refuge roadways and trails
they begin to emerge in May but can be spotted on the refuge through August
- Morton Refuge: Piping plovers use the refuge most: nesting families plus plovers from other areas
The heaviest use of the refuge by plovers occurs in July
- Fire Island: Monarch butterflies stop to rest and feed on their way south
From mid-August through late September or early October
- Each place's usual timing from its own source: a peak only where the source names one (not a forecast)
Places by state
New York
- Fire IslandIn its usual window
Usually January and December
- Morton RefugeIn its usual window
Usually January and December
- Wertheim RefugeIn its usual window
Usually January and December
Official reports
- Sep 30Park ServiceVisitor-center locations and descriptions and the park's photo captions, including piping plover nesting monthsSource (opens National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore: park data (visitor centers and photos) in a new tab)
- Sep 30Park ServiceThe fall monarch stopover on Fire Island, its nectar and host plants, and the William Floyd EstateSource (opens National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore: Monarch Butterflies in a new tab)
- Sep 30Park ServiceWhere leashed pets may go, and the March 15–Labor Day ocean-beach restriction for nesting birdsSource (opens National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore: Pets in a new tab)
- National Park Service sources: no claim to original U.S. Government works.
Show all 10
- Sep 30Park ServiceSalt marsh, seasonal facilities (May to mid-October), access and beach-nesting pet rulesSource (opens National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore: Watch Hill in a new tab)
- Sep 30Park ServiceNo NPS entrance fee; ferry and parking fees charged by othersSource (opens National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore: Fees & Passes in a new tab)
- Sep 30Park ServiceThe Sunken Forest boardwalk, access by ferry, boat or foot, facilities and pet rulesSource (opens National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore: Sailors Haven in a new tab)
- Sep 30Park ServicePiping plovers (arrival and July use), terns and ospreysSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Elizabeth A. Morton NWR: Species in a new tab)
- Sep 30Park ServiceFees, hours, no feeding birds, the April–August beach closure, trail, platform and best months for waterfowlSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Elizabeth A. Morton NWR: Visit Us in a new tab)
- Sep 30Park ServiceA river for all seasons: ospreys, box turtles, wood ducks, migrating tree swallows and winter waterfowl on the Carmans RiverSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wertheim NWR: Species in a new tab)
- Sep 30Park ServiceTrails, hours, rules, restrooms, transit directions and the best months for waterfowlSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wertheim NWR: Visit Us in a new tab)
- National Park Service sources: no claim to original U.S. Government works.
Questions people ask
Where can I see wildlife by season in New York?
We track 3 places: Fire Island, Morton Refuge and Wertheim Refuge.
How do you track wildlife by season?
Each place moves through 4 stages: Season starting, Season under way, Busiest time and Winding down. Every stage we show comes from a dated report with its source, and every forecast lists its sources.